Posted by Scotty on November 11, 2001 at 18:32:16:
Well, after a loooong week of rehearsals and concerts (and I may be a wimp, but an extra sixteen hours on top of a normal workweek & other things is a bit tiring), I finally get a break. The concert was great, the guest composer was happy, and we all went out and partied.
One of the pieces was a Karl King medley (by King himself). The final number was "Barnum & Bailey's Favorite," and I just wasn't able to keep up (at least not at the tempo DC used. I have NEVER played it that fast). The lips were there, the tongue was there, the fingers weren't. Dang.
During a break, I went over to see CS's new tuba (a Mirafone), and I noticed that the rotors on the puppy moved a LOT faster than on my Cerveny 603. I'm sure I would still have had trouble with B&BF, but it occurred to me that my playing might actually now exceed the capacity of my horn.
Anyone have comments on the Piggy's valve action? Slow? Average? Is it possible to upgrade the valveset to something faster? I like the tone (and it fits in my car), so I'm reluctant to go looking for a different horn.
Scotty